1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in a hot beverage producing device for use in automotive vehicles, and more particularly to a hot beverage producing device which uses a pair of separate liquid containing compartments to enable preparation of a fresh beverage at the time of use.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Parties who frequently travel in automotive vehicles, and especially truck drivers and the like often desire periodic cups of a beverage for purposes of refreshment. In many cases, drivers who are forced to drive long distances often rely upon beverages, such as coffee or tea, for purposes of caffeine intake in order to maintain stimulation to overcome periods of drowsiness.
One very common technique which is used by a large number of drivers is to maintain a thermos bottle containing a hot beverage. The disadvantage of this arrangement is that after a period of time, unless the thermos bottle is very efficient, the beverage cools. More importantly, after a period of time, the beverage, and particularly coffee, will begin to develop a very sour and unpalatable taste. Thus, many truckers and other long-distance drivers prefer the advantages of a freshly prepared beverage, such as a freshly prepared cup of coffee or tea.
Another of the disadvantages of thermos bottles is the fact that they are difficult to manipulate while driving. The truck driver or other individual must attempt, with one hand, to position a coffee cup and possibly hold the same with his knees and then remove the top of the thermos bottle and pour the contents into a coffee cup. Not only does this result in an inherent danger while driving, but the driver often pours some of the contents on himself or herself. If the beverage is hot, this can result in serious accidents if not burns, not to mention the stains on the seats of the vehicle and the clothing of the individual.
There have been several proposed coffee makers and like beverage producing devices for use in automotive vehicles For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,713 to Hurley discloses a rather complex beverage producing device which utilizes a plurality of compartments. U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,279 to Lapera et al. also discloses a hot beverage producing device for use in an automotive vehicle. The devices in each of these two patents are quite complex and very expensive to produce. Moreover, they are very large and bulky and not effective for use in automotive vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,989,093 to Stiebel also discloses a hot beverage preparation device. While this device does not have the complexity of the devices of the Lapera and Hurley patents, it is also difficult to use and not very effective. More importantly, it is quite large in size.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,728 to Schneider also discloses a beverage making device but which is not effective for use in automotive vehicles. The same holds true of a portable heating device in U.S. Pat. No. 3,467,816 to Wahlberg. A similar beverage making device, which is not effective for use in a vehicle, is that illustrated in U.S. Design Pat. No. DES. 89,364.
Inasmuch as the commercially available and proposed hot beverage producing devices are not entirely effective, many long-distance drivers have had to make frequent stops at coffee shops and/or road-side cafes and the like. However, this is undesirable inasmuch as it interferes with driving time, particularly for employees who are paid for long distance drives.